1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in retail checkout terminals, and more particularly to advantageous aspects of an apparatus and method for requesting assistance at a self-checkout terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is becoming increasingly common for purchasers of consumer goods to pay for the goods without the need for a human cashier. For example, motorists frequently purchase gasoline at self-service stations by inserting a credit card directly into a card reader on the pumping station. This approach has a number of advantages. First, this arrangement saves on the number of persons required to maintain and run a business establishment. Second, it decreases the incidence of employee mistake or dishonesty. Third, it decreases the amount of time required to complete a typical transaction.
However, self-checkout terminals in a retail environment sometimes require attention from a store associate for a variety of reasons, including the following:
a customer has tried to purchase an item that is restricted by age (e.g., alcohol or cigarettes in the United States);
a self-checkout terminal""s security system has detected an event that requires store intervention or auditing of the transaction;
the customer requests additional assistance;
the customer""s credit or debit card transaction was not approved by the authorization service;
the system is low on cash and may be unable to make change;
the system is low on, or out of, paper;
a device is reporting a failure (e.g., a paper jam, a coin jam, or a scanner failure);
the customer has attempted to purchase an item that is not in the product database; or
the system is no longer communicating to its data server.
There is thus a need for a self-checkout system that provides a way to notify store associates that their assistance is required at the self-checkout terminal.
The present invention provides a self-checkout terminal having input and output devices for performing a self-checkout process. The input and output devices are controlled and monitored by system software that determines, based on its monitoring of the input and output devices, whether intervention by store personnel is necessary. The system software further controls a voice modem that provides a digital audio signal output to a store intercom system, and has access to digital audio files containing announcements to be played on the store intercom system. When the system software determines that intervention by store personnel is necessary, it selects an appropriate digital audio file and plays it over the store intercom system by means of the voice modem.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.